​12 Iraqis arrested in Germany in recent months for smuggling people: Police

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - At least 12 Iraqi nationals have been arrested by German federal police since July for smuggling people, a police spokesperson said on Tuesday. The arrests come as Berlin tightens its migration rules amid growing anti-immigration sentiment across Europe.

"The ten main nationalities that were rejected or pushed back at the land borders from May 8 to July 31, 2025, are Ukrainian, Afghan, Turkish, Algerian, Syrian, Eritrean, Moroccan, Somali, Tunisian, and Albanian. A total of 629 Turkish, 550 Syrian, 152 Iraqi, and 78 Iranian nationals were rejected or pushed back," the spokesperson told Rudaw. 

"The ten main nationalities of smugglers identified at the land borders from May 8 to July 31, 2025, are Syrian, Ukrainian, Afghan, Turkish, German, Albanian, Pakistani, French, Iraqi, Algerian. A total of 12 Iraqi nationals were identified," they added.

According to the spokesperson, among those rejected by the federal police during this period, there were also 447 children under 13. "These children were with those who wanted to illegally enter Germany and were stopped at the border and returned."

Germany’s interior ministry told Rudaw last month that more than 400 Iraqi nationals had been deported in six months. 

Germany is ramping up deportations, with hundreds of individuals being returned at its borders, sparking criticism from opposition parties over human rights concerns. 

Germany is a popular destination for tens of thousands of Iraqis and residents of the Kurdistan Region who attempt to reach Europe each year, often through smuggling routes. 

Kahi Mahmoud contributed to this article.